Premier Scott Moe has called comments by Canada’s Attorney General and Justice Minister David Lametti outrageous.
Lametti commented in response to concerns the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) raised about treaty land, water, and resource resources development.
“I can’t pronounce on that right now, but I do commit to looking at that,” Lametti said. “It won’t be uncontroversial, is the only thing that I would say, with a bit of a smile.”
Premier Scott Moe said that those comments were not only outrageous by also ill-informed.
“On what basis does the federal Justice Minister think he has the authority to unilaterally strip Saskatchewan and the other western provinces of our constitutional authority over our natural resources,” Moe continued. “Saskatchewan has always had reason to be concerned about this federal government’s agenda to infringe on provincial jurisdiction and autonomy, and we will be relentless in defending our jurisdiction and autonomy.”
The Premier called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reign in his Justice Minister.
“The Prime Minister needs to immediately tell his Justice Minister he has no business even speculating about rescinding western provinces’ constitutional authority to control our natural resources.”
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) hopes Lametti will do more than “look at” the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement.
“First Nations have long made this claim that the provinces don’t own the natural resources, and the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement is an illegal document. Therefore the statement by David Lametti is fully supported by First Nations,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said. “We are looking forward to exercising our Treaty rights to natural resources in the province.”
Cameron said that the acknowledgement from the federal government shows a government that wants true reconciliation.
“This will enable us to make decisions that are going to benefit all of us and our generations to come,” he said. “Our ancestors are Treaty people and wanted to ensure that we would be able to make a living and prosper just as much as our white brothers and sisters. The sacred covenant was made with the Crown when the jurisdiction over lands and resources was illegal.”
It was in the 1930s that Canada entered into a series of agreements that transferred federal administration and control over land and natural resources to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
However, it would not be until 1982 that the government amended the Constitution Ac, 1867, to recognize provinces’ and territories’ constitutional rights to manage their own non-renewable natural resources, forestry resources, and electrical energy.
